Sudanese Opposition Drafts Document on Civilian Rule

Sudanese protesters at a demonstration in Khartoum. (AFP file photo)
Sudanese protesters at a demonstration in Khartoum. (AFP file photo)
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Sudanese Opposition Drafts Document on Civilian Rule

Sudanese protesters at a demonstration in Khartoum. (AFP file photo)
Sudanese protesters at a demonstration in Khartoum. (AFP file photo)

The Sudanese opposition Freedom and Change coalition announced a new political document titled "Demands and Procedures to End the Coup," based on the civil-military dialogue held last week under US-Saudi mediation.

The document, a copy of which was obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, identified three stages to end the coup and establish civil rule.

The first step calls for ending the coup, followed by the phase of "constitutional foundation" with the participation of the forces that resisted the coup and the military component.

The final stage calls for establishing the democratic path, which represents the Sudanese people who believe in democracy, supported by the tripartite mechanism takes the tangible steps.

The document said that the political solution must include the establishment of a unified national army that distances itself from politics.

It called for reviewing the economic activity of the military and security establishment and going through a transitional process that exposes crimes, holds violators accountable, brings justice to the victims, and prioritizes the national economy.

The document stipulated dismantling the June 30, 1989 regime, recovering looted funds, implementing the Juba Peace Agreement, and reviewing it with its parties.

It called for establishing an anti-corruption commission, building a balanced foreign policy that preserves the country's interests, formulating a permanent constitution, and preparing for free, fair, and transparent elections within 18-24 months.

The document defined the institutions of transition as a limited civilian Sovereign Council, a cabinet of independent national figures and prime minister chosen by the forces of the revolution.

It described the establishment of a limited parliament with 40 percent of seats allocated to women.

The document stressed the formation of a Security and Defense Council chaired by the prime minister and including leaders of the regular forces, armed movements, and relevant ministries to implement security reform policies.

It underlined the importance of reforming the judiciary, the Public Prosecution Office, and the Constitutional Court in line with a democratic system and adopting a "decentralized" federal approach.

It set out a roadmap that includes implementing measures to create a democratic environment, signing a copy of a declaration of principles binding to all parties, dissolving the institutions that emerged after the October 25 military coup, and forming new institutions in line with the final agreement before kicking off any direct negotiations between the army and civilians.

The US-Saudi mediation, led by US Assistant Secretary of State Catherine Phee and the Saudi ambassador in Khartoum, Ali bin Hassan Jaafar, had gathered the military and the Forces of Freedom and Change for talks last week.

The meetings called for the lifting of emergency measures, protecting the civilians and the cessation of violence against them. They called for the release of detainees, returning funds recovered by the transitional government, and initiating immediate accountability measures against human rights violators.



Syrian Security Forces Detain Cousin of Toppled Leader Assad

A giant picture of Syrian President Bashar Assad lies on the ground as a Syrian opposition fighter stands nearby, inside the Presidential Palace in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A giant picture of Syrian President Bashar Assad lies on the ground as a Syrian opposition fighter stands nearby, inside the Presidential Palace in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
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Syrian Security Forces Detain Cousin of Toppled Leader Assad

A giant picture of Syrian President Bashar Assad lies on the ground as a Syrian opposition fighter stands nearby, inside the Presidential Palace in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A giant picture of Syrian President Bashar Assad lies on the ground as a Syrian opposition fighter stands nearby, inside the Presidential Palace in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syria's security forces have detained Wassim al-Assad, a cousin of toppled leader Bashar al-Assad, state news agency SANA said on Saturday.

Wassim al-Assad was sanctioned by the United States in 2023 for leading a paramilitary force backing Assad's army and for trafficking drugs including the amphetamine-like drug captagon, Reuters said.

Bashar al-Assad was toppled by the opposition factions in December and fled to Moscow. Most of his family members and inner circle either fled Syria or went underground.

Syria’s new security forces have been pursuing members of the former administration - mainly those involved in the feared security branches accused of rights abuses.

Rights groups have called for a fully-fledged transitional justice process to hold them to account.